A documentary film titled “Rise and Dream” produced by a local organization has received the prestigious “Best Documentary” award at the John Paul II International Film Festival held last weekend in Miami.

Produced by the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) based in Kansas City, KS, the documentary is about 13 teenagers living in poverty in the Philippines learning to play their own cultural instruments and putting on a once in a lifetime show for their community for free.

The struggles that the teens face are well beyond the struggles of what any teenagers should go through. These kids learn to persevere through poverty and balance their time with school, work, domestic labor, and the CFCA music program.

The film premiered in KC last summer, was featured in the Kansas International Film Festival in October and continues to be screened around the metro. The film’s website features upcoming screenings or how to purchase the DVD www.riseanddream.org.

Founded in 1981, the CFCA is an international nonprofit assisting families living in poverty in developing countries. CFCA’s Hope for a Family program brings people together through a sponsorship model in which one sponsor offers support and encouragement to a child, youth or aging person in a developing country.

The annual John Paul II International Film Festival (LINK) was created to give a home to filmmakers who have chosen to use this medium to express and share a message of hope, struggle, triumph, and Love to the world. The film festival is modeled after the views and ideals of the late Pope John Paul II.

The film was recently shown throughout the Kansas City area and will be shown on an Atlanta station later this week and streaming on its website.